Dutch Declaration of Independence

Questions for Further Study

• 1.: What role did religion play in the Dutch independence movement?
• 2.: Trace the history of the Spanish Empire using the Dutch Declaration of Independence along with Christopher Columbus’s Letter to Raphael Sanxis on the Discovery of America, the Requerimiento, and the Cartagena Manifesto.
• 3.: The Dutch Revolt was one of the earliest efforts in Europe to unite smaller principalities into a nation. Compare the process in the Netherlands with the process of unification in Germany as reflected in events surrounding the Carlsbad Decrees.
• 4.: The Dutch Revolt and the Dutch Declaration of Independence challenged the divine right of kings to rule. How was the Dutch challenge different from, or similar to, the challenge issued in such documents as John Locke’s Second Treatise on Civil Government or the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen?
• 5.: During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Dutch were among the world’s leaders in artistic accomplishment, trade, science, and industry. Why do you think such a small country was capable of such achievements?